Generally, gas cooktop appliances include a plurality of gas burners mounted to a top surface of the appliance. In existing systems, it can be difficult to determine when a burner is active. Although a flame may be visible once ignited, users may find it difficult to know if gas is being supplied during a pre-ignition sequence. Moreover, even after ignition, it can be difficult to quickly determine the status of a burner without closely examining a control knob or the burner itself. In some systems, fiber optic cables or light pipes have been used to carry light to a section of the top cap of a gas burner. Other systems have placed lights radially outward from the burner. However, these arrangements can lead to potential gas leaks, difficulties during assembly, cleaning barriers, and interference with conduits supplying fuel to the burner assembly. Along with reducing overall reliability of the burner, these existing systems can greatly increase the expense and effort required to repair one or more portions of the appliance. Moreover, they may become difficult to see when a utensil is placed on or near the burner.
Accordingly, a cooktop appliance with features for clearly illuminating one or more burners would be useful. It would be advantageous to be able to illuminate a gas burner in a manner that ensures ease of assembly and does not inhibit cleaning. Useful systems may further avoid interference with gas transmission to the burner and eliminate the need for expensive light pipes. In turn, it would be desirable to provide a system and apparatus that addresses at least some of the problems identified above.